“I’ve thought about this for a long time,” Rivera said. “If I would have won my last fight, I would have walked away. But that’s not how it worked out, and I just told myself I would leave no matter what happens.

“It’s time to go. I’m starting to feel like that old man in the club trying to pick up chicks. It gets a little creepy after a while.”

Rivera, 39, made his debut at UFC 44 with a decision over onetime middleweight challenger David Loiseau. Most notably, he went on a three-fight win streak in 2009-2010 that earned him a fight with division standout Michael Bisping. In a highly controversial meeting at UFC 127, Bisping delivered a blatantly illegal knee to a downed Rivera in the first frame before winning a second-round TKO. The Brit then spit at Rivera’s cornerman (Bisping was later denied a discretionary bonus for the incident).

Tonight’s fight, which takes place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., and airs live on FUEL TV, marks Rivera’s 15th appearance inside the octagon. His current UFC record stands at 7-7.

UFC on FX’s four-bout main card airs live on FX.

A father of three, Rivera said he has another child on the way and wants to focus on other things in life.

“I’ve had a great time,” he said. “I absolutely love the fans. I love everything about this job. It’s going to be hard to be away from it. And I hope to be back cornering somebody else, but this will be the last time I fight.”

Although happy with his career, Rivera has regrets about his time in the UFC.

“I didn’t take it as serious as I should have,” he said. “I never saw everything taking place. I was just really happy to be there. I didn’t take my training seriously. There’s a lot of things I would go back and tell myself.

“If I had anything to do, I would probably say to myself, ‘Become more well-rounded.’ Wrestle more, do more jiu-jitsu. Work on the things that you’re not as good at. Get with good trainers. There’s a million things that I would do.

“Hindsight is 20-20, man. You’re living in the moment, and you think you’re doing all those things. It’s only when it’s passed you that you realize what you had in front of you.”

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